Mike McDaniel wasted no time encouraging Tua Tagovailoa after becoming the Dolphins‘ new head coach this offseason, calling the quarterback during his first flight to Miami and promising he’d “get all that greatness out of you.” Months later, with the 2022 season around the corner, McDaniel has revealed his key for taking Tagovailoa to the next level: unlocking the QB’s “bravado.”
Appearing recently on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” McDaniel pointed to a charity event as the moment he realized what he needed to do with Tagovailoa, much-maligned two years into a conservative run as Miami’s starter.
“When I first got here, when I first met him, and took in his personality, (this) was a guy that was very guarded with scars,” the coach said. “This offseason, Tua had a foundation event. This guy that was quiet — you could tell he was trying to please — he jumps on stage with some bongos in the background and is dancing with this glow — chest out, (with a) confidence, a bravado, that was magnetic. And I was like, ‘That’s it.’ That is the spirit of the athlete that, if we can bring out on that field, that’s how you can play the quarterback position the best way.
“For you to maximize yourself,” McDaniel continued, “it can’t help to have support and belief. So I started with that. … My immediate job is to get him like he was on stage, just with his aura. Because his skill set’s crazy. (He throws) the most accurate, catchable ball I’ve ever seen.”
Tagovailoa, 23, wasn’t necessarily put in the best position to succeed in the two years after the Dolphins drafted him No. 5 overall, McDaniel added. After a busy offseason that saw Miami surround the former Alabama signal-caller with talent, most notably former Chiefs star Tyreek Hill, it’s on the new coach to identify Tagovailoa’s ceiling as the face of the franchise.
“My job is to make sure that his best years as a football player are right in front of him right now, ever,” McDaniel said. “For him. That’s my job with everybody. He has these skills … I just know for him to be the quarterback that he himself wants to be, that harnessed stage presence needed to be on the football field.”
